Introduction
Organization culture is collective behaviors that are exercised by existing members within an organization (Cameron, 2005). Employees in workplace commonly state the term culture often, and few of them know what it entails. Culture is paramount as it enables the organization to achieve its goals effectively (Hofstede, 2010).
When an individual want to manage organization culture one must first define it. This is not an easy task since, despite general agreements about culture components, there are diverse disagreements about several factors, which include: can culture of a certain organization be adequately described, can management of organization culture be fully described and whether there are management strategies, which best manage culture.
It is believed that culture management is mostly influenced by change agents or organization managers (Cameron, 2005). This essay objective is to discuss the extent to which organization culture can be managed as well as an implication of for organization culture management. Moreover, this paper will discuss whether culture is critical to organization successes.
Managing organization culture
Organization culture is not static, and several factors make it keep on changing. Organization culture is defined and transformed by new employees as well as new and old features of organization external factors such as new professional ethics do influence organization culture too (Bunt, 2000). Within an organization structure, command and control system as well as operation norms contribute to transformation and management of culture (Madu, 2007).
Organization culture is considered as attributes of organization that can be manipulated making it possible to change and manage the organization culture. Organization culture is believed to emerge from things shared among employees in the organization. This entails shared beliefs, norms of behavior, attitudes and values (Willmott, 1993). This makes organization culture to be well managed because employees already know the norms followed in the organization (Scott, 2003).
Total change of organization existing culture should not be done. The management if they need to manage culture well they should first ensure the existing culture has been improved to meet the desired results expected (Schabracq, 2007). Therefore, this calls for caution for management to be selective with an aim of continuity and renewal of culture in the organization. Researches have been conducted to come up with ways to manage culture.
Since organization culture is diverse, there is a need to manage this cultural diverse. These strategies include determine which culture should dominate others within an organization (Cameron, 2005). The other strategy is to allow sub cultures in the organization to continue independently.
When cultures are emerged together, there is harmonious working and organization employees work as a team leading to uniformity (Mark, 2005). Culture can be managed by providing incentives to employees. This is done by making employees who adhere to set culture are recognized and given incentives (Luecke, 2003). Those who violate organization culture may be denied some incentives.
The other way culture can be managed is by employee training. Employees are trained new skills, which will auger well with organization culture. Some scholars argue that organization culture is part of the organization. They state that the extent to which culture can be managed is through managers (Bunt, 2000).
Managers are empowered to manage culture by communicating to employees, providing incentives and sanctions. They emphasize that management of culture lies on managers rather than employees. They argue that leaders have roles to change, maintain and manage culture within an organization (Luecke, 2003).
For one to deal with management of organization culture, it is paramount to attributes, which lead to existing and new target culture, which include myths, symbols and assumptions that underpin the culture. This attributes include recruitment, selection and replacement. It is believed that culture management can be affected by ensuring employee appointments strengthen existing culture or support a culture shift. Employee removal and replacement can bring new culture in the organization (Bunt, 2000).
Performance management can be utilized to maintain desired culture in the organization. Behaviors, which management needs to discard, can be communicated to employees, and they are discouraged to condone them. This will lead to management of organization culture in a good way (Schabracq, 2007).
When all people within an organization are encouraged to participate fully in culture management of an organization, it will be easy to manage culture effectively. The other factor involves satisfying interpersonal relationship as this do much in supporting already existing culture ands welcomes new comers into the culture (Kotter, 2002).
There are several factors that hinder management of organization culture. These factors include situations when managers speak ill of their colleagues. This leads to need for revenge and leads to managerial immaturity (Luecke, 2003). Managers avoiding working with each other may also lead to unacceptable culture management.
This is because when managers avoid working with each other everyone propels his culture making it hard to integrate organization culture into one (Haneberg, 2009). Managers who have bright prospects but fails to integrate these prospects with existing culture may lead to difficult in culture management (Willcoxson & Millet, 2000).
Failure to work as a team makes organization culture management difficult to managers and other employees. Frequent replacement if existing employees especially those concerned with leadership roles do contribute to difficulties in managing culture (Kotter, 2002).
There are competitive suggestions on the extent to which organization culture can be managed. Some scholars argue that managing culture is impossible or possible if the complexity of truth is well comprehended and any cultural change is carried out in a long-term manner (Willcoxson & Millet, 2000). Therefore, it is critical that culture be managed with cultural awareness instead of managing the culture directly.
Organization culture is one of the factors that determine the organization competitive advantage. Organization culture depicts the way an organization carries out its practices thereby determines the success or failure of the organization (Sinickas, 2006). Culture within an organization depicts the procedure to follow when selecting and recruit employees.
Bearing in mind that employees are the driving force for organization performance its paramount to link organization culture to organization performance (Mark, 2005). Employees are hired if they satisfy to propel believes, ethics and norms practiced in an organization. Promotion and dismissal also depend on culture of an organization (Willcoxson & Millet, 2000).
Management solves problems the organization face depending with the culture the organization has. Organization culture brings people together making them work as a team a thing that helps employees to achieve organization goals. Lack of proper organization culture leads to lack of same focus on employees, which leads to the difficulty in meeting organization goals (Willcoxson & Millet, 2000).
If organization culture is corrupt, employees find excuses of ignoring what is right. This makes them participate in unethical activities. When discovered the reputation of an organization is destroyed making it lose its market share to competing organizations. This may latter lead to closure of such organization (Bunt, 2000).
Organization with unethical culture can lose more revenue due to legal battles in courts as complainants try to seek justice. It would be exceedingly hard to gain customer loyalty and trust once lost and organization need to have a strong organization culture (Schabracq, 2007).
Organization culture and organization success
Organization managers use organization culture when faced with numerous issues on how to formulate organization achievements. Organization culture is utilized as one of crucial component that managers utilize in order to sustain achievements (Mark, 2005). Managers who comprehend organization culture and pay proper attention to it will be in a position to predict unforeseen challenges and employ decisions to solve these challenges in advance (O’Donnell & Boyle, 2008).
Leaders who condone poor performance within an organization make employees develop a culture of laziness and ignorance. This leads to poor performance of the organization, and if not solved in the shortest time possible, then the organization may collapse (Sun, 2008).
Organization culture focuses on organization strength and stresses the need of an organization to be managed in a way that respects every stakeholder’s interests into consideration. It also focuses on how members of an organization relate with others and organization (Mark, 2005).
Organization culture is a considered to be the creator of energy and momentum in an organization. It motivates employees within an organization to achieve their goals. For managers to achieve organization fulfillment, then an organization should embrace a strong culture. Organization culture is one of factors, which is used to evaluate organization capacity, longevity and effectiveness (Willmott, 1993).
It is argued that organization culture has serious impact on organization long-term financial gains. Culture can affect organization financial economic performance whereby organization with cultures, which propagate strong performance results, will perform well. Organization cultures do form the base on which employees carry out their roles within an organization (Kotter, 1992).
It also depicts the way organization resources are allocated to different departments within an organization (O’Donnell & Boyle, 2008). Culture defines ways individuals within an organization act when faced with threats and opportunities in the organization. It also shapes individual goals in the organization to march with organization goals. Culture practice, which includes risk taking and pass of information within an organization, reflects success of an organization (Willmott, 1993).
Organization culture dictates how an organization is run. This translates on performance of the organization. It also influences employee motivation morale and commitment to work (Bertrand, 2002). It also influences employee output, efficiency and attitude of employee towards the organization.
Organization is one of a factor, which dictates the objectives organization needs to pursue (Willmott, 1993). This determines whether organizations will succeed or fail. Organization culture plays a crucial role in influencing behaviors in the working place by use of managerial tools, which range from, technology, structure, interpersonal relationship to strategic goals among others (Bertrand, 2002).
Organization cultures do influence feeling of identity to employees within an organization and commitment to organization mission (Sun, 2008). It serves as a reference to enable new members of the organization to incorporate acceptable behavior acceptable within an organization. Organization culture is used as a powerful tool to ensure organization performance is improved. It is a competitive advantage against competitors of organization. Same organization can take similar tasks but due to their organization culture, the results will be different (Pfister, 2009). This dictates why some organization are successful than others (Kotter, 1992).
Organizations, which are performing poorly, may perform well incase they change their organization culture. This is because an organization well founded culture leads to success of an organization (Mark, 2005). Culture influence organization performance in every aspect of performance, which may be it in terms of the growth, economy or financial (Schabracq, 2007). Organization culture determines organization products brands (Ishak & Ghani, 2009).
These brands are the ones sold to customers, and their performance determines organization success (Ishak & Ghani, 2009). For an organization to foster its performance, it needs to have a culture which aligns with intended achievements formulated by leaders. Without culture, organization will not involve itself with changes, which are meant to make it succeed (Schein, 2010).
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear that organization culture can be managed well in an organization. Management and other organization leaders are the ones who are in a position to manage culture within an organization. Management plays a crucial role of being examples to employees as well as communicating to them about the organization cultures.
If a radical management is needed then, the organization can change management since new managers are capable of developing new ideas, which are different to those practiced by existing managers. For managers to manage culture effectively, they need first to determine and understand components of culture. This will help them to make informed decisions on how to manage culture well.
Organization culture plays a significant role in success of the organization. Culture affects all the stakeholders within an organization. Leaders, as well as management decisions and operations, are based on organization culture. Culture is the one that motivates employees and make them come up with individual goals, which will march, with organization overall goal. Without strong organization, culture organizations are bound to collapse.
When an organization faces difficulties in its operations it can take a turn around approach and change its culture. This will make it be in a position to regain its lost glory. Organization, which operates within its cultures, makes it have a unique status thus gaining competitive advantage. This leads to its success as customers are proud to be associated with it. Management need to pay attention on their organization culture and encourage their employees to do the same if they need their organization to succeed.
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